Emerging from pal Howard Yuill’s salon, Savage said: “I turn 40 in October, and although age is only a number, there comes a time when you have to grow old gracefully.

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“I’ve left the 1980s and 1990s behind, and finally I’ve caught up with the modern world - and I feel liberated. It’s literally a big weight off my shoulders!

“On the school run, you don’t see many dads in the playground with long blond hairstyles or ponytails, and I just felt it was time to discover what lies beneath the haystack - I had no idea whether it was brown, red or grey.”

Savage, whose hair made him instantly recognisable with fans - and referees - as a player, resolved to visit the barber’s chair after finding his hair difficult to manage between assignments at the World Cup.

He added: “When I was out in Brazil, I seemed to be spending half my time on shuttles from one airport to another - and the other half I was tying back my hair or trying to make it presentable for a live TV audience.

(Photo: Andy Stenning / Daily Mirror)

“Probably the last straw was setting off for Brazil and reaching the check-in desk before I realised I had brought my wife’s passport with me because she’s got long, blond hair like me and I picked up the wrong one.”

Dad-of-two Savage was tempted to take the garden shears to his locks last year, but after asking readers of his Daily Mirror column to help him decide, their Twitter poll was 2-1 in favour of keeping the full mop.

One lucky reader could also be the proud owner of a lock of Robbie’s hair.

Just give us a hair-raising reason why you should win and email your answer to features@mirror.co.uk by midnight tomorrow. Robbie will pick out the funniest.